Chapter 446: I'm Marrying Him Tomorrow (1)

Nancy Hughes never thought she’d meet someone from her own industry on a blind date.

The man before her had not only studied abroad but was also employed at a well-known company. It seemed he was planning to settle down domestically in the coming years.

She was honestly surprised to meet someone so exceptional on a blind date.

Perhaps because they were in the same industry, they had much more to talk about.

The date was much more pleasant than she had imagined, and the time flew by.

“Where do you live? I’ll take you home,” Zachary Stone said as they walked out of the restaurant together.

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary. I can get back on my own!” she said, turning to him and declining politely.

“It’s no trouble. Aren’t you going to give me a chance to be your Flower Protector?” Zachary Stone said jokingly.

“…Alright then!”

“Wait here a moment, I’ll go get the car.”

Zachary Stone’s car was parked in a nearby lot; it only took a few minutes for him to drive over.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“It’s fine.” She sat stiffly in the car and gave him her address.

‘Her time with Zachary Stone had been surprisingly pleasant. They got along well. Not only was he not the disappointment she had braced for, he was actually quite exceptional.’

‘To meet a man like him on a blind date… she must have gotten really lucky.’

As soon as she got home, that nosy kid Riley Caldwell immediately called. “Sis, how was the blind date today? Any sparks?”

“It was what it was,” she said, her voice listless.

“What does ‘what it was’ mean? Do you like him or not? Is there any hope for marriage?!”

Riley Caldwell chattered on endlessly, extremely concerned about her blind date. “Why do you care so much?!”

“I’m your brother! If I don’t care about you, who will?”

“…”

Nancy Hughes couldn’t be bothered to argue with him and just hung up.

‘Who decides whether or not to get married after just one blind date?’

‘Even though she had a great time with Zachary Stone, it didn’t mean she liked him.’

‘For her, liking someone was a slow process. Whether she could ever come to like Zachary Stone, not even she could say for sure.’

Before parting, they had exchanged phone numbers to make it easier to contact each other again.

‘She felt that someone as outstanding as Zachary Stone, with his qualifications, didn’t need to go on blind dates at all. He probably wouldn’t be interested in her anyway.’

‘His attitude toward her during the date probably just stemmed from his good upbringing. And him asking for her number was likely just a polite gesture, to avoid making her, the woman, feel awkward.’

‘So basically, there was no hope.’

‘It’s a blind date, after all. How often do they succeed on the first try?’

Riley Caldwell even made a special trip over to ask her in person. Seeing her expression, he seemed to understand everything. He patted her on the shoulder comfortingly and said, “Sis, it’s okay. If this one didn’t work out, we’ll just keep going on blind dates. You’re bound to meet someone right for you!”

“Whatever. I’m starving right now, can we eat?”

“Hold on, the fish soup is still simmering on the stove!”

“Then what are you waiting for? Get your butt back in the kitchen and watch it!” Nancy Hughes shot him a cold glare.

“Sis, you’re so fierce. I seriously wonder how you act on these dates. Nope, next time you go on a blind date, I’m tagging along to see for myself!”

“Get back to the kitchen!” She grabbed a pillow and threw it at Riley Caldwell. ‘If he weren’t her actual brother, how could he get away with saying things like that to his own sister?’

With his quick reflexes, Riley Caldwell caught the pillow flying at him. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking!”

Nancy Hughes thought her contact with Zachary Stone had ended there, but unexpectedly, he called her on Friday and asked if she wanted to go out.

Zachary Stone had two tickets to an art museum and asked if she was interested.

When she got the call, she was squeezing onto a bus. The chattering sounds around her drowned out Zachary’s voice, and she dazedly agreed.

Not long after hanging up, Zachary texted her the time, and only then did she realize what she had agreed to.

Ever since she moved here for work, she had basically never gone out for fun; she was always busy with her job.

The hustle of Monday to Friday left her completely exhausted on weekends. Where would she find the energy to go out and have fun?

‘Well, she’d already agreed now. She couldn’t back out.’

The next morning, she made a point of waking up early, which greatly surprised Riley Caldwell, who was always an early riser himself.

“Sis, do you have to work today too?” Riley had assumed she wouldn’t be up, so he hadn’t prepared breakfast yet.

“No, I’m going out with a friend.”

“Going out?” Riley’s interest was immediately piqued. “Which friend? Do I know them? A guy friend or a girl friend? Sis, what…”

“I don’t want to hear your nonsense first thing in the morning!” Nancy Hughes slammed the bathroom door with a BANG, shutting Riley out and nearly hitting him in the face.

“She won’t say. It’s definitely a date with a guy.” ‘This is great,’ he thought. ‘His sister was finally coming around.’

Worried about being late, she left rather early. The traffic was smooth all the way, so she arrived at the art museum’s entrance very early.

Zachary Stone also arrived ten minutes earlier than expected. Seeing Nancy Hughes already standing at the entrance, he said, “And I thought I was early!”

She chuckled. “No, I was just way too early!”

“Let’s go in. It’ll get crowded soon!”

“Okay!”

Both of them were in the same profession, but they had different areas of study when it came to painting.

Nancy Hughes preferred traditional Chinese painting and knew more about it, while Zachary Stone, having been abroad, was more familiar with oil painting, especially from the Renaissance period.

Coincidentally, this museum had such an exhibition, and Zachary told her a lot about Western history.

“You seem to know a lot about their history,” Nancy Hughes said, looking up at a huge oil painting overhead. The people in the painting looked lifelike, the brushwork exquisite and delicate.

Zachary Stone smiled. “To truly understand the meaning of a painting, you have to go back to its era. To that end, I’ve read quite a few classical Western books.”

Zachary Stone was very fond of classical Western oil paintings and had some knowledge of every period.

After they finished at the art museum, Zachary suggested they get something to eat. He happened to know a pretty good restaurant nearby.

She didn’t know this area very well, so she went along with Zachary’s suggestion.

The private rooms at the restaurant were already full. Zachary turned back and asked her, “Do you mind eating in the main dining area?”

“I don’t mind. The main area is fine!” ‘She wasn’t that picky.’

“Right this way, you two!” A waiter gestured for them to follow and led them to the side.

There happened to be an empty table right in the middle of the main hall. “Please take a look at the menu.”

“You can just order. I’m fine with anything!” Nancy Hughes glanced at the menu before closing it.

Zachary Stone ordered all local specialties. “I’ve been here once before. The food is really good.”

She gave a perfunctory smile. Suddenly, her phone rang in her purse. She took it out and saw it was a call from that kid, Riley Caldwell.

“Sorry, I need to take this call.”

“Go ahead.”

Nancy Hughes took her phone and walked to a less crowded corner before answering.

“Sis, what are you doing? It took you so long to answer!”

“Stop with the ‘Sis.’ What do you want?” Nancy Hughes asked, annoyed.

When it came to the real reason for his call, Riley asked curiously, “Sis, where are you right now?”

Nancy Hughes rarely went out on weekends; most of the time, it was for work.

Today was a special case. If she wasn’t out for work, then she must have been asked out by someone.

Nancy knew what he was getting at. “Alright, alright, I’m with the guy from the blind date. Are you satisfied now?”

A mischievous laugh came from Riley’s end of the line. “Sis, are you dating now?!”

“Yes, yes, and I’m marrying him tomorrow! Happy now?” Nancy spouted angrily.

“No way! You’ve only known him for a few days and you’re already getting married? That’s too rash! You need to observe him for a while longer. How about this, Sis: bring him over for me to see one day. I’ll help you vet him!”

“Oh, please. Just worry about yourself!” ‘He spends all day, every day, meddling in other people’s business.’

She hung up and turned to leave the corner. As she did, her vision blurred for a second, and an exceptionally familiar figure came into view.

She panicked slightly, blinking in disbelief. But then, the figure was gone.

Looking in the direction where the figure had disappeared, she only saw a crowd of people coming and going. It was impossible to find them.

Her mind grew dazed. ‘She must have been seeing things.’

When Nancy Hughes returned to her seat, she was visibly unsettled. The figure kept reappearing in her mind, growing clearer and clearer.

She could even imagine the face that belonged to that back.

‘It’s been so long since she thought about him. She must be going crazy!’

Lost in her thoughts, she barely heard what Zachary was saying and just responded vaguely.

“Nancy, are you not feeling well?” Zachary asked with concern.

Faced with his suddenly outstretched hand, she jerked her head back in alarm, dodging his palm.

Only then did she realize how rude she had just been. She forced a weak smile. “I suddenly feel a little dizzy. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Looks like our plans for later are off, then,” Zachary said, a little disappointed.

‘Were there more plans for later?’

Nancy’s smile grew even more rigid. “I’m really sorry.”

“Your health is more important. I’ll take you home after we eat,” Zachary said, gentle and considerate. “As for the rest of our plans, it’s not too late to take you next time!”

“We have plenty of chances, don’t we?”

“Okay,” she nodded.

Zachary Stone walked Nancy Hughes to the entrance of her apartment building. She thanked him politely, “Thanks!”

“Nancy, I don’t want you to just say ‘thank you’ so I can say ‘you’re welcome.’ It feels so impersonal between us.”

A flicker of confusion crossed Nancy Hughes’s eyes. Zachary looked at her and said, “After all, aren’t we seeing each other with marriage in mind?”

His words left Nancy speechless. It was true.

‘Blind dates were for the purpose of starting a family as soon as possible.’

“Nancy, I hope we can become closer. I really like you.”

Faced with his confession, she was completely at a loss, having no idea how to handle the situation.

In the end, she just stared into Zachary’s eyes, let out a hasty “Oh,” and waved to him. “Well, I’m heading up now. Bye.”